British Values

We agree with the Department for Education’s five part definition of British Values:

Democracy
The rule of law
Individual liberty
Mutual respect
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

We believe these British Value are effectively promoted in our school through our School Aims.

At Woodland Primary we understand that there are many different types of community in modern Britain. Woodland Primary School itself is situated in the East of the city of Hull in a compact, densely populated urban area. The city of Hull has a resident population of 256,123, of which 62,500 are children and young people aged 0 to 19. By 2035 the population is expected to reach 278,000.

The English Indices of Deprivation (2010) placed Hull amongst the 7 most deprived local authority areas in the country and, according to End Child Poverty, one third of children and young people live in ‘income deprived’ households. Currently it is estimated that over 60% of our children and families come from the lowest 1% of deprivation nationwide.

The city is experiencing rapid, major social changes as its population becomes increasingly diverse. 11% of the city’s population come from ethnic groups other than White British.

WOODLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL AIMS

In our school everybody should work constantly to develop a purposeful and quality environment, well ordered for work and free from unnecessary interruption and intimidation. We believe this environment is necessary to create a broad and balanced curriculum where everybody has their best chance to:

• Achieve beyond expectations
• Be proud of our community, our school, our achievements and our peers
• Develop a culture where we take appropriate risk, understanding this is how people learn, grow and achieve things they thought were too difficult
• Enable people to work together, in order to achieve more than we could on our ownWe believe these aims will develop us spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, therefore helping to prepare us for the next challenges and opportunities in our lives.

These values are experienced throughout our everyday school life, as evidenced on our website. Below are some examples of how we promote these values in our school:

DEMOCRACY

Pupil voice is an integrated aspect of school life at Woodland. Our pupil elected school council play a strong role in our school. They are elected by their class peers and are involved in making Woodland a better place to learn. Pupils have input in their learning and what they would like to learn, which promotes our Pupil Voice. P upil questionnaires and interviews are also conducted regularly.

We know that the formation of the school council and the active participation of our pupils will sow the seeds for a more sophisticated understanding of democracy in the future. Our children having now also started to attend the Hull Youth Parliament each term to gain a real understanding of democracy in action.

THE RULE OF LAW

Our pupils will encounter rules and laws throughout their entire lives. We want our pupils to understand that whether these laws govern the class, the school, the neighbourhood or the country, they are set for good reasons and must be adhered to. This understanding of the importance of rules will be consistently reinforced through assemblies and our curriculum. The involvement of our pupils in the creation of the school rules helps them to understand the reasons behind rules and the consequences if rules are broken.

Our school rules are linked to Unicef Rights and Responsibilities – focusing on the link between these two elements. We debate and discuss the reasons for laws so children can recognise the importance of these for their own protection. Throughout the year we welcome visits from members of the wider community including police, the fire brigade and many more. We believe that clear explanations and real life stories emphasise the importance of the Rule of Law for our pupils.

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY

All at Woodland work to create a positive culture in our school, so that children are in a safe environment where choices and freedoms are encouraged. In lessons, learning tasks are challenging and require cooperation, hard work and perseverance. They understand they may have to take appropriate risk and may have to congratulate and be proud of a more successful peer on some occasions.

We offer a range of clubs which pupils have the freedom to choose from, based on their interests. Through our E-Safety, Jigsaw and PSHE sessions, we educate children on their rights and personal freedoms as well as supporting them in recognising how to exercise these freedoms safely.

MUTUAL RESPECT

Our pupils learn together with respect for each other. We value and celebrate our peers, as evidenced on our website. Every pupil knows that we respect and appreciate each other no matter what differences may exist. Mutual respect is a core value of our School Aims. Without our community working together and so achieving together, our School Aims could not be fulfilled.

TOLERANCE OF THOSE OF DIFFERENT FAITHS AND BELIEFS

We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied and respected. Parents and leaders of different faiths are welcomed to the school to share their beliefs. We believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding. Through our curriculum and the routines of our daily school life, we strive to become knowledgeable, understanding and successful citizens who can build a better local area, Hull, Yorkshire, and Britain for the future.